New Beginnings
by ilovenutella99
Summary: The war has ended, and the Capitol has fallen. Madge Undersee survived the bombing and moves to District 2, unable to go back to her home. There, she runs into a familiar face. Gale Hawthorne. Both have a chance to start over, create new lives. The question is, though, will they take the risk? Sometimes, the aftermath of the risk is greater than the risk itself.
1. Arriving in 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games or any of the characters in it.**

* * *

"Ms. Undersee, you're being moved to District 2." I sigh and accept the citizen papers the woman is handing out to me. This is the fourth time I've had to move in the past month.

The war ended a month ago. I was in a hospital in 6 the whole time, and I don't really know what happened in it. In the hospital I was stuck in, they rarely got electricity, therefore we rarely say the news on the war. All I really know is that we won and the Capitol fell.

Back to my life, now. Since the war ended, they haven't known what to do with me. They wanted to send me to the Capitol, but I refused the offer. I'd rather stay in the districts. I've been in 6, 10, 3, and 11, and now I'm going to District 2.

I hoist my single bag up and put it on my shoulder before boarding the train that will take me to District 2. Since I've moved around so much, I don't bother to make friends because I know I'll leave anyways. I shuffle quickly through the papers they gave me and sigh again. Another house, another district I'll end up saying goodbye to in the end. I always do.

The train lurches forward and I stare out the window, watching District 11 fade out of my view. According to the maps I was given, District 2 is a very large district. It's somewhere in what used to be called the "Great Plains", but I don't know what that really is.

The ride drags on. I sleep most of it, and try not to focus on what's going to happen to me in District 2.

When the train finally pulls to a stop, I wait for it to clear out a little before I finally grab my bag from under my seat and depart from the train. Outside, I pull my thin jacket closer around me and shiver. It's definitely a lot colder than District 11, I can say that. I wonder if it gets colder or not. I have to go to the District Transmission section in the train stop because I'm moving from one district to another.

After I've shown my papers to the nice man at the booth, he hails a cab for me and pays for me. I thank him and direct the driver where to go.

"You new here?"

"Yes."

"Where from?"

"11." I've become even more unsocial in the past month than I was before the war started. Whenever I'm actually spoken to, I answer with short answers. The man in the front accepts and just drives. I watch the mountains and the plains go by, and look around.

Yes, it's a very big district. Lots of houses and apartments. When the cab finally reaches my new house, I look up at it. It's an apartment. I'm living in the military section because I move around so much. The driver asks if I need help moving in and I tell him that I'm fine.

Walking up to the apartment, I hear the cab speed away. When I finally get the door unlocked, I step in and am hit with the smell of dust. I guess this hasn't been lived in for a while. It's not the biggest apartment, but it'll do until I move again. It's actually a very nice apartment, but it's just not home, not even close.

I throw my bag onto the kitchen table and rummage around in the cabinets to see if there's anything in there. A few dishes, just a few simple things. I walk around and see that there's two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a couple closets. There are sheets in the closet and I pull them out and make a bed up for myself tonight. Put my toothbrush and stuff in the bathroom. Fold up my few clothes and deposit them in dresser.

When the doorbell rings through the apartment, I grumble and go to the front door. When I open it, I see a woman and a young girl.

"May I help you?" I ask cautiously, and the young girl grins widely at me.

"Well, I knew that there was going to be a new resident moving in, and I wanted to make sure you were getting settled in alright." Now that pulls on the heartstrings. No one that I've met has actually asked how I was doing after I moved in.

"Thank you. I'm Madge." I hold my hand out for the woman to shake it and she shakes it warmly.

"Coralie." She says, and the young girl smiles at me and tugs on her mom's shirt. "And this is Annia." She holds out her hand and I shake it gently. The girl's bright green eyes smile at me, her eyes crinkling. "So, are you settling in all right?"

"I think so." I shift on my feet and open the door a little wider. "I probably won't be here long, though."

"Why's that, dear?" The woman must be in her mid-thirties or something, maybe a single mother, maybe not. Her daughter looks exactly like her.

"Move around a lot."

"Oh. Well, if you ever need anything, you can come ask me about it."

Wanting human interaction, I call out to them as they make it down the steps. "Actually, where can I buy food, and clothing, and other essentials?"

The rest of the afternoon is spent talking to Coralie and Annia. They tell me where I can buy essentials and tell me of places that need employees. I need money, too.

Turns out Coralie's husband is in the military and most of the people in this subdivision are in the military. She says that the man who lives across the street is usually never home, and when he is, he doesn't really talk to the people who live around him.

"Just ignore him, and it should be fine." I nod, and Coralie and Annia have to leave. Annia makes me promise to come and see her tomorrow. Before they left, Coralie offered her old bike to me so I could get around the district. I accepted, I mean you must have a way to get around. They are nice people, I'll say that. I'm glad that someone cares about my well-being while I'm here. But, I can't get to attached if I'm going to end up moving in a couple of weeks anyways.

I close the door and sigh. This is definitely not home. Never will be.

* * *

_A/N: This has been on my Word document for a while now, but I guess I'll post it. Don't expect frequent updates on this one, I have a life and other stories too. Thoughts? Should I keep this going?_


	2. Finding Someone New

**Disclaimer: Still don't own the characters. Sigh.**

* * *

That night, it takes me forever to fall asleep. The sheets are scratchy and the mattress is as hard as a rock. Outside I can hear a car pull up and a door slam. I toss and turn all night, only sleeping a little every now and then.

When light finally streams through the window, I throw the covers off of me and eagerly go to the kitchen until I realize that I have no food. Maybe a little money, which means to the store I go. I grumble. I want to stat inside as much as possible. I can't make friends, or it'll be harder to leave in the end.

I quickly travel back to my bedroom and throw on a t-shirt and some jeans. I try to multi-task by tying my shoes and putting my money in my pocket, but it doesn't work out to great. My shoelaces end up tangled to no end and my money somehow ends up on the floor.

Finally, when I manage to get out of my apartment, I grab the bike in the garage downstairs and quickly hop on it. Coralie gave me a small map of the basic part of the district and a list of places that need employers. Before even applying for a job, I decide to hurry into the grocery store and find some cheap milk and cereal that I can survive on until I get more money. It takes me forever to navigate the district and I get lost several times, ending up in an alley or a line of houses.

Once I finally find the store I hurry inside and I quickly find that it's going to be harder than I thought to find some cereal. I get lost in the store just trying to find stuff to eat. I'm able to find the milk and just grab the first one I see before continuing my search for cereal.

I end up having to ask an employee and he chuckles a little before guiding me in the right way.

"You new here?"

I nod. "Moved here yesterday."

"You looked a little lost." I follow him to the complete opposite side of the store that I was looking on.

"Here you go. Cereal aisle." He gestures down the aisle and I thank him. "If you ever need anything else, I'll be here. Name's Kenton."

"Madge." He holds out a hand and I shake it. I feel myself blush a little. No one's really actually wanted to talk to me that much.

"Kenton, get back to work!" Someone calls and he sighs before grinning at me.

"Nice to meet you, Madge." He winks one of his green eyes at me before jogging back to the manager I'm assuming. I try to control my gaping mouth and blush, but it's nearly impossible. A cute guy just said hello to me. I can't stop blushing.

I walk to the checkout and the woman there stares at me as I dig around in my pocket for my money. I know that the people behind me are probably groaning because I'm going so slow, but they can deal with it. When I'm finally able to check out, another problem arises. I don't know how I'm going to get home with my stuff. I run back in and buy a basket that could hook onto the end of the bike, and I go with that. I think it has some sort of kid thing on it, but I don't mind. It'll do for now.

My stomach starts growling as loud as it possibly can, so I jump onto the bike and quickly pedal to where I think my apartment is. Turns out that I was wrong and I have to back track and start over. By the time I get to the street that I'm positive I live on, my stomach is about to die and I'm irritated beyond belief. This district is too big. I liked District 12 better. Maybe I'll get transferred there eventually.

As I get close to my house, the idiot across the street decides that it's a great idea to pull out of his driveway right as I'm riding by on the bike. The guy nearly hits me and I scream as I crash into his mailbox.

I'm in a daze for a moment as the guy starts yelling at me. Or, I think it's a guy, I'm not sure. My head's a little banged up.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're _doing_?!" The person yells as the climb out of their car. "Did you not see the _car_ coming out?" The person's blurry head appears above my head and I blink a few times. They continue yelling for a few more seconds and then they suddenly stop and stare at me.

"Oh my god," the person starts and I try to sit up but my head hurts. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know who you are." I force out and the guy (I'm pretty positive it's a guy, I think) groans.

"Get yourself together, Undersee." I swallow and my vision still hasn't come into focus. But the name does bring something to my head as I try to think. There's only like three people who've ever called me by my surname. One of them would be the attendant who tells me where I'm moving. The other would be Gale Hawthorne. But I doubt that that's who it is. It's not like he's here.

Then I'm proved wrong.

The man waves his hand in front of my face and I blink a couple times before I can finally focus on his face. Thick eyebrows, straight dark hair, tan skin. Yup. This is Gale Hawthorne.

"Gale?" I finally say and he rolls his eyes.

"Looks like you finally got there." I swallow and he stares at me.

"What're you doing here?"

"I think I should be asking you that question." I continue to stare and he rolls his eyes again. "Undersee. I'm not patient."

"Neither am I." I know that I probably shouldn't be messing with him right now, as I nearly crashed into him, and actually did hit his mailbox. I try to stand up but have all of the blood in my body rush to my head and I nearly fall over again. I use his mailbox as a thing to keep me upright.

"So? Why're you here?"

"I got transferred here."

"_Transferred_?"

"Moved here. Was that word too big for your brain capacity to handle?" He glares and his eyes are cold as ice.

He quickly takes a breath and continues to stare at me. "Why'd you get moved here?"

"Because I'm on the list to get moved a lot." I reply, as if it's obvious. I don't exactly like to talk about why I move a lot.

"Why?"

"I don't have a family, so therefore they put me wherever they have space." His eyes soften for a moment and he swallows.

"I'm sorry. About your family, I mean." I shrug. It's not like I could get them out. My mom died in the first wave of the fire. She didn't last a second. I blink the tears out of my eyes quickly and swallow. Her screaming still bounces around my head at night. It's hard to think about. My dad died in the second wave of fire. We were thirty feet from our house when the fire somehow reached us. He was burned and I saw it with my own eyes. I didn't even have time to say or do anything. Nothing to save him, at least.

"It's not like I could've stopped it. The fire got to them both."

"You were in the fire?" I nod and he stares for a second.

"Me and someone else were sent to get the mayor and his family but we didn't find anyone. Only fire. Where were you?"

I swallow and push the tears back. It's so hard to get through a normal conversation these days. "My mom was already dead. My dad and I got out back when he was burned and killed. I stumbled into the woods and walked for hours. The next thing I remember is waking up. I was in a hospital in 6. They told me that I had some pretty bad burns and that the Capitol and the districts were in a full scale war."

"Where was the war at this point?" He asks again as I adjust myself on his mailbox.

"I don't know. We didn't get electricity in the hospital. I don't know what went on during the war." He seems to relax a little and he sighs.

"It wasn't pretty."

"Oh." I respond quietly as the conversation dies down. A few moments later I stand on my own. "Well I should probably go. Don't want to bother you any more than I already have."

I pick up the bike and my groceries as Gale calls me back.

"Hey, Undersee?"

I turn and stare. "Yeah?"

"Have you been back to 12? You said that they put you anywhere. Have you been home?"

"No. I'm betting that that's the one place they won't put me." He scowls and disappears into his car before pulling out of the driveway. He acts as if that whole exchange never happened. And in his mind, I bet it didn't. He wouldn't want any contact with the _privileged_ mayor's daughter who wears those _pretty dresses_. Oh if only he could see what my life is really like now.

* * *

Back in my apartment, I pull a bowl out of the cabinet and pour some cereal quickly to quench my hunger. While I'm eating I can't stop thinking about my interaction with Gale. I think the odds of both of us showing up somehow in 2 on the same street is a force to be reckoned with. I'm kinda wondering if they did that on purpose. Just to give me a glimpse of my old life and how much I hated it. How much other people hated it.

Truth is, I didn't like being the mayor's daughter. People were forced to be friends with me because of who my parents were. Everyone talked about me. Not in the good way, but the bad way. How I got everything I wanted. To be honest, I didn't want any of what I got. I thought that the money should go to places that actually need it, not use it on me when I already have everything. Then again, I didn't want it to seem like I was using other things as a charity case.

Sure, I used to pay Katniss and Gale money for bringing me strawberries, but that was business. I have to pay them a decent amount of money anyways, even if I overpaid them a few times. Gale actually called me out on it the day of the reaping that threw the whole country into chaos. He told me that he didn't want my money and that they were doing fine on their own. I remember that I had sighed and just taken the money back.

My thoughts float back to the time that Katniss was in the Games the first time, and how Gale and I had something that sort of resembled a friendship. I mostly think that it was because he didn't have anyone else, and neither did I. Katniss was what brought us together, and she was also what tore us apart.

I remember the day that Katniss came home. It was before the train arrived and I knew that something was off with Gale. Usually he would attempt to give me a half-hearted smile, but that day it was just a scowl. I remember what he said to me. He said that whatever the two of us had, it had to stop because of Katniss, or something. That whatever we had done to keep her alive with the donation box in the Seam, it didn't matter anymore.

But that couldn't stop me from bringing to morphling when he got whipped. No, I traveled through a snowstorm in the dead of night to bring that to him and I bet he doesn't even know. Honestly, now that I think back to why I brought it, I don't really know. I guess it's because I had thought of him as a friend, and since I had (or still have, I guess) no friends, I didn't want to lose him. I guess it's because I was already losing Katniss and Peeta, that I didn't want to lose anyone else.

As I wash my dish in the sink, I sigh and stare out at Gale's house. I wonder if he's thinking about what just happened. I know I'll be thinking about it.

* * *

_A/N: Phew. It's been a while, guys! I know this took a long time, but I finally know where I'm taking this, and I'm getting back to it! Keep an eye on Kenton. He'll be important later. Thoughts on the chapter? Predictions? Anything? I hope y'all are still reading?_


	3. New Job

Around one, I decide to take out the list of employers that Coralie gave me, and find a job. Frankly, if it's not obvious, I'm broke. The first one on the list is a waitress at a bar. I would prefer not to have that one, but if it comes down to it, I'll have too. It actually pays pretty well. Money is a good thing. I need money.

Another one is a cook. Well, that's off of the list for now. I can barely cook anything, but my cereal tastes pretty darn good. The list goes on for a while and I find that there's a lot of jobs that I would like to have, but don't have the skills for. Or the education. See, I never finished school. My second to last year was interrupted by the Quell exploding. That crosses off many jobs off of the list. I'd like to finish school, but that's just a dream right now.

Finally, I sigh and rub my eyes. There's literally only 2 jobs that I could do. The waitress, and a dancer at a club. Considering I have no skills in dancing, nor do I want to be stuck in a club all night. Not really what I want to do.

I grab the sheet and hurry outside to get my bike. Quickly, I ride to the place where I'm going to apply. When I pull up, I swallow. It's a grungy old place that is called something I can't pronounce. I think it's in adifferent language, or something. I hurry into the building and I'm immediately hit with the stench of stale liquor. There's only a few people in the bar, and they look wasted.

There's old older man behind the counter, maybe he's in his fifties.

"Hi, I'm here to apply for the waitress job?" The man gives me a onceover, his eyes trailing up and down my body, lingering on my hips and my torso. This makes me uncomfortable, but I don't flinch. I'm good at hiding what I feel. I've done it for nearly 18 years.

"Yeah come this way." He leads me to an even dingier back room and knocks on the door. Another guy opens the door and the older man mumbles something under his breath before leaving me alone with him.

"You're here to apply?" He has a scruffy beard and small black eyes. He looks like a rat.

"Yessir."

He nods and motions for me to sit. "So, tell me about yourself?"

I nod, and then swallow. "My name is Madge Undersee, and I'm 18." I have to lie so I'm able to work. "I moved here yesterday, and I'm just looking for work. I'm originally from 12." He nods while smoking on a cigar. His eyes too travel up and down, lingering longer on my torso than the other man. I resist the urge to cross my arms over my chest.

"You're hired. You'll report back here at 5 o'clock. Your shift will be 5:30 to 11:60. You'll get minimum wage, and if you work hard you'll get a higher paycheck." I nod slowly and he continues. "Now, there's a few things you should know about this job. The men that come into this bar will be completely wasted by nine o'clock. You have to keep them happy." He pulls out a bag from beneath his desk. Go try these on. If they fit, tell me. Bathroom is down the hall to the right."

I hurry to the bathroom and lock the door. I open the bag and pull out the smallest piece of clothing I've ever seen. Then, I pull out three sizes of push-up bras. I find my siz and slowly pull off my clothes before pulling on the bra. It completely pushes my breasts out of my chest. I swallow and squeeze into the dress. It's the shortest and tightest thing I've ever worn, also the skimpiest.

The skirt of the dress ends at about the top of my thighs, completely exposing me. The top dips low, but not too bad. The very top, though, is the problem. It pushes my breasts completely out of the dress. It reveals so much of me. At least my hair is long enough to cover me up a bit. But still, it's not very welcoming.

Finally, I pull on the hells. They're black, with at least 6 inches on them. I move in front of the mirror and feel sick. I look like a prostitute. The dress shows off every curve in my entire body and shows off everything.

Incan back out now. I need money. And I'd rather not be a pole dancer at a club. Quickly, I tug off the clothing and hurry back to him.

"They fit." He nods and gives me a locker key. "You'll come here and change into your uniform. Got it?" I nod and he nods back. "Good." He dismisses me and I hurry home to prepare for what could be the most hellish night of my life.

* * *

When I get back to the bar, I hurry back to the staff locker room. When I get there, I find that there's another woman also in the room.

"So you're the next victim, then?" She asks, leaning back against the lockers.

"Unfortunetly, yes." I tell her, and she sighs.

"I was one of the first. Glad I can share this experience with someone else now," She says sarcastically before holding out her hand, "I'm Wren." Wren has long dark hair that's about the same lenghth as mine. Her skin's the same color as mine, but she has chocolate brown eyes.

"Madge." I reply, shaking her hand.

"I swear I've heard that name before. Just don't know where." She exclaims while pulling on one of her heels.

"I just moved her yesterday, so I dunno where." I tell her and then hurry to change.

"Eh, I'll figure it out eventually."

"Are we the only two working here?"

"Yeah for this hour. There's a couple of girls that come for the night shift but I've never talked to them."

I finish pulling on my heels. "So how exactly do I do this?"

"Basically, when the customers ask for something, tell Finn, the bartender. He's one of the nicer people that work here. Finn'll get whatever they wanted and you'll bring it back. You have to lay on the charm. That's what all of them want. It's disgusting, I know, but it's how we get paid." She finishes as she hands me a tray. "I'll give you the smaller side of the bar for a couple days, since you're new. Then we'll split the bar evenly."

I nod and the two of us hurry into the main room of the bar. Wren walks to some of the men and immediately starts chatting them up. It must be a slow night because there's basically no one here on my side. Just a few men who look as if they're in their early twenties. One of them calls for me and I slowly walk there. He's completely gone and his eyes hungrily rest on my chest. God, this is disgusting. I hate this already.

"Gimme something sssstrong," he slurs, and then squeezes my thigh before pushing me away. I nearly gag. Quickly, I get away from the stench of him and hurry to the bar.

"You look new," The man says and I nod. He must be about my age, as well. Short brown hair, blue eyes, stocky build.

"Yeah, this is my first day." I pause and set the tray down. "The guy said something strong, so.." I trail off and Finn nods.

"He's normally here. Don't let it bother you with what he says to you. It's only normal for him." I nod as he makes the drink before handing it to me. "Good luck." I nod before hurrying back to the man.

* * *

After nearly six hours of misery, I'm ready to collapse. My feet hurt and I want to just sleep. Wren and I quickly change back and then hurry outside.

"You need a ride, Madge? Finn and I carpool."

"That'd be nice." I mumble and we lean against the wall, waiting for Finn to come out.

"So how was your first day of work?"

"It sucked. I hate this job already." Wren nods.

"I know. But it pays well. I know it sucks, trust me I've been here almost a year. After a while you kinda get used to it." She finishes before throwing her bag into Finn's small car.

"How?" I ask as I climb into the back seat.

"Just tune it all out. Once you can do that, you can get through this job." Wren replies, and Finn starts the car.

"So, stranger in the back seat, can I know your name?" He jokes and Wren turns around and rolls her eyes. Finn swats her.

"Madge. Sorry." I answer and he nods.

"It's fine. First day is always crazy." The conversation continues a little and I actually laugh a couple times. I tell Finn where my house is and he speeds through the small amount of traffic. When we get there, he pulls up in front of the house. "You live in the military quarters?" Both of them turn around to face me.

"Yeah. I move around a lot. I'll probably only be here for about a month."

"That's weird. I'm the same way, Madge." Wren replies, "They've kept me here for a while. Maybe they won't move you again."

I sigh. "I hope so. So far, I kinda like it here." I climb out of the car and grab my bag.

"That's the spirit!" Finn calls to me as I start up the sidewalk. I grin and both of them wave as they drive away. I glance across the street at Gale's house. There are a couple lights on in the house and his car's in the driveway. I can't believe I'm thinking about him right now.

I unlock the front door and nearly collapse onto my couch. I'll eat tomorrow morning. Sleep is priority now.

* * *

_A/N: If you haven't noticed, this story will be a little different than my others. It'll be darker and have more stuff in it. Rating is subject to change. It probably will, so be ready for that._

_Anyways! Good chapter, I hope? I don't really care for this one, but eh. Gadge will come eventually. Trust me, it has to get there. _


	4. Maybe This is Good?

Every morning when I wake up, I immediately feel a sense of dread. I'm dreading going to work. The place is filthy, the only people there are drunks, and I don't want to dress up like a prostitute.

The day goes by too fast. I use a small amount of money to buy some more food at the local supermarket and I get a smile from Kenton while there. He has a nice smile. Before I can think too much on it, I shake my head.

I can't go around getting attached to people here. I'll end up leaving in the end. Wren and Finn are a stretch. Usually I never talk to anyone at all. I don't know if I even consider them friends and I have no clue what they think about me at all.

Most of the day I use my bike to ride around the district, getting to know it a little more. I actually don't mind District 2. It's kinda like District 12. Apparently it's not that hot in the summer but very cold in the winter, like home.

I really wonder what home is like now. I don't even know who's still alive. I know Katniss and Peeta are cause I saw some footage of the war on the television at the bar. I dunno about others. People should be better off. A lot of the Districts have been fine with the new leadership but 1 has had some issues adjusting. I guess that's what they get for being the Capitol's lapdog for seventy-five plus years.

* * *

I learn from Wren that our boss is notorious for attempting to get his female workers in bed with him. She told me that after she had been working there for a couple days or so, he approached her and called her into his office to discuss something.

So, when he calls me into his office on my third day of work, I'm not shocked at all. Instead, I'm pretty prepared.

"Ms. Undersee, how are you adjusting to the job?" Mr. Carlson asks.

"Good, sir. It pays the bills." I reply, wringing my fingers in my lap.

I learn from Wren that our boss is notorious for attempting to get his female workers in bed with him. She told me that after she had been working there for a couple days or so, he approached her and called her into his office to discuss something.

So, when he calls me into his office on my third day of work, I'm not shocked at all. Instead, I'm pretty prepared.

"Ms. Undersee, how are you adjusting to the job?" Mr. Carlson asks.

"Good, sir. It pays the bills." I reply, wringing my fingers in my lap.

"Yes, yes it does. Ms. Undersee—can I call you Madge— how would you like for the two of us to get to know each other better after closing tomorrow?"

"Sir I'm usually tired at work, so I'm not sure that that would happen." I force out, resisting the urge to cross my arms over my chest. His eyes keep dropping lower and lower down my torso.

"Then what do you say about Saturday, then?"

"I'm going home to visit some friends for the weekend." I lie, cringing. I have little to no friends, and on top of that, no one besides Gale knows that I'm still alive.

"Shame," Mr. Carlson muses, "Perhaps another time."

"Perhaps." I grit my teeth as he releases me.

Once back out in the bar, Wren finds some time to talk to me.

"How'd it go?"

"Basically trying to get me to go out with him. Which I would never do."

"The one girl who agreed to go out with him ended up drunk. He kept feeding her drinks and then took her home with him, and you know what happened next."

I nod as I wait for Finn to get the drinks I need. "What happened to her?"

"She quit. I saw her once after and that's when she told me what happened."

"Wow." I mumble, as Finn hands me the drinks. "That's sick."

"Yeah, I know." Wren says. We go off our separate ways. I've gotten used to this job. Charming the men, keeping them happy. It's not fun, but it actually does pay pretty well.

The night drags on. By about ten, it begins to fill up some more. That's about the time that Kenton shows up. Yes, that's right, Kenton from the grocery store.

I stare at him for a couple seconds until I shake my head and get back to work. When I finally have to go back to the bar to get more drinks, he finally notices me.

"Madge?" He asks and I turn. When he sees me he grins. "For a second I was worried it wasn't you then I'd look like an idiot." I grin a little. "What're you doing here?"

"Oh I work here." I say, wiping my hands on the towel that's on the bar before sitting on a stool next to him. "It's only temporary until I find a better job."

"I would hope so. This looks like it sucks."

I nod. "It really does." Finn comes over and gives Kenton a look.

"He bothering you, Madge?"

I laugh. "No, he's not bothering me, Finn. He's a friend." Finn nods but gives Kenton a look. When Finn leaves, Kenton laughs a little.

"Is he okay?"

I nod. "Finn just doesn't like most of the men that come in here."

"They're all assholes." Kenton says, looking at the men who are currently talking to Wren.

"They are." I laugh. "I should probably get back to work. My boss..." I trail off and Kenton nods before stopping me again.

"Maybe sometime we can hang out?" He asks and I grin.

"Yeah, we could." He pulls out an old receipt out of his jeans and scribbles something on it.

"Here's my number. Call me whenever, Madge." He winks before putting some cash onto the counter and hurrying out the door.

I hurry back to the locker room and shove the paper into my locker before quickly getting back out into the bar to continue working.

* * *

Later, as Finn's driving us home, Wren turns around and gives me a smirk.

"So who's the guy?"

"I—" I pause and she grins. "Just a friend."

"Looks like he's got more than friendship on his mind." Finn grumbles from the driver's seat.

"What are you talking about?" Wren asks, giving Finn a look.

"I was watching him while you were talking to him. I know how guy's think. He doesn't want to only be friends with you." Finn looks in the mirror and then smirks at me. Wren is dying of laughter next to Finn.

"Will you guys stop?" I ask, but I'm laughing too. The thought that any guy would want to actually be with me makes me laugh.

"We're totally gonna get you two together."

"Wren!" I say, still laughing. She and Finn are both still smirking at me. We pull up in front of my apartment. "You two must hate me." I tell them as I grab my duffel from the back.

"Nah." Wren says and I grin at them through the front window. "We just wanna see what happened when we try to set you up with someone."

"Watch it end in disaster." I laugh and they grin.

"Watch it not end in disaster." Finn replies, smirking still.

"You two are impossible." I grumble and start to walk up the driveway. They laugh and then speed away.

I'm about halfway up the driveway when I hear another car pull up.

I glance back to find that it's Gale. I sigh before continuing to walk.

"Undersee!" I sigh and turn around to find Gale staring at me.

"What do you want?" I ask and he trudges to the sideway in front of my house.

"C'mere." I slowly walk down the driveway to him and I raise an eyebrow when he doesn't start talking. "Look. I know I was an _ back home to you. And my mom told me about the morphling, basically what I'm trying to say is that I feel like I owe you." My stomach drops. My guess is that Hazelle Hawthorne told Gale when she thought I was dead.

"Gale—" I grumble, "You don't owe me anything." What is it with him and owing people?

"Yes, I do." He growls. "That's why I'm going to attempt to be your friend."

"Attempt? Thanks, really helps." I say, as I turn around to go into the apartment.

"Undersee, wait." He grumbles and I turn around. "Look. I know I haven't been nice or whatever the past couple of years, but can this please be a truce?" In all honest, all I've wanted was for Gale to be nice to me. I've wanted him to like him. "Can we just be some sort of friends?"

I nod a little and he rubs his face. "Can we at least catch up sometime soon? Do stuff that friends do?"

"Maybe." I say and he looks at me. "Fine. We'll see."

"Thank you." He finally says and I start to retreat into my apartment.

"No problem." I mumble and finally I make it into the apartment without him bugging me one more time.

Once inside, I collapse onto the couch and throw my duffle bag across the room. I hate my job. Luckily, it's Thursday. Which means one more day until I can get my paycheck and a couple of days off.

I finally pull myself up and glance at my clock. Almost 11:30. I should get something to eat. Quickly, I pour a bowl of cereal that I've grown to hate and shove it down my throat. When you're on a budget, and can only have one type of food for every meal, you learn to hate the food pretty quickly.

After, I take a fast shower and then fall onto my bed. Sleep hasn't been coming easily lately. Nightmares of District 12 and my parents keep coming back to me. I hate this.

Instead of being kept up by nightmares, I'm actually kept up thinking about someone.

Kenton.

The way his eyes light up when he talks. How his bangs get in his eyes. In my mind I keep replaying the whole conversation I had with him.

I really hope Saturday isn't too soon to hang out.

* * *

_A/N: Hello, hello again. My life's been insane. I've been gone several weeks, but now I'm back on track! Anyways, several of you mentioned to me that you thought you'd be seeing more of Kenton, and you were definitely right. Trust me, Gadge will come. Not yet, but it will. There's gonna be ups and downs. Thoughts?_


End file.
